Cluck, Cluck
by LadyBaSingSe
Summary: Kataang OneShot. Katara has Zuko to thank for the unanswered questions in her relationship with Aang.


**A/N: Writer fever. Oh, I've missed it so... As for that story I posted last night, since so many people wanted a second edition, I'll write one when I get around to it... Ehh, this story is ehh. And the name is to throw people off because it's fun. Although, when you read it, it'll make more sense. Review please. And thanks for reading, everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.**

Cluck, Cluck

She was watching him. And _boy_ did he know it. If the Avatar as much as stepped on a sharp object in his sight, he was done for. The water tribe girl would strangle him to death, cut him into little pieces, chew him up, spit him out, and throw what was remaining off the cliffside. Just the thought of it made him wince.

"Zuko?" the kid asked with concern and excitement, bringing his eyebrows together. Zuko shook his head.

"Uh, what? Oh. Sorry."

The exiled prince turned to look at the waterbender again. She was leaning forward with what looked like a glare through burning blue eyes. His eyes lingered on her, afraid to do anything wrong in her sight.

Aang turned around.

Expecting to see some giant airship, he shrugged with merely, "what are you looking at?" as his head tilted to the right. Almost instantly after this, his grey eyes met Katara's blue ones and they smiled sadly at each other.

"Nothing," Zuko lied, "Let's try to teach you some firebending. Watch and listen."

"Listen?" Aang inquired, facing him again.

"Just do it."

The younger boy nodded and took a few steps back, then sat criss-cross style on the ground, his back to Katara.

Again Zuko paused. All he could think about was her and the many things she could do to him of which could injure him permanently to the point of no return. She could slice off his legs with ice or blind him in both eyes or give him severe frostbite... Not to mention the fact that she made most of the food and knew where he _slept_. A shiver went down his spine.

"Well, are you going to do something? Or just stand there?" Katara asked sarcastically from her place on the platform above them.

The firebender breathed deeply, then released it. His eyes found her annoyed ones and they glared at each other for a moment.

Suddenly, Zuko widened his stance and brought his arms to his chest. He side-stepped and pushed the air to the left with his fist, fire flailing out of it. Twisting his body, the prince threw his body and forced himself away from the ground with the palm of his hand, then kicked flames from his feet and landed in what looked like an airbending stance, finger tips balancing him, front and back.

He spun close the the ground and created a foundation of fire below him, cast lines of flames in for different directions, then completed the move with another firebending set. In the end, he paused, walked back in front of Aang, who was smiling brilliantly and bowed to him.

"That was _amazing_!" Aang announced, twisting his body to look up at Katara on the platform. She wasn't there. He looked around, and finally found her on the steps coming down to their training grounds.

When she approached them, Katara smirked and put a hand on her hip.

"Duel me," she commanded to the firebender.

Aang stood. "Katara... I don't think that's a good idea."

The girl crossed her arms. "Yeah? Why's that?" she questioned.

"You might get hurt..."

Katara opened her water pouch and streamed the liquid out, bending it between her fingers. "Aang, I can heal myself. Although, I doubt this'll be much of a match."

Zuko chuckled at that. "I've been waiting for a real rematch since the coup at Ba Sing Se."

There was a pause and she tried to hold back her immense sadness with the memory.

"If you _ever_ bring that up again, you _will_ regret it."

"Okay, okay." He nodded in understanding. "But, you're on."

The elder boy cracked his neck to both sides and beckoned her to throw a blow, where she kindly oblidged. The stream of water shot at him and when he attempted to deflect it, circled around him to smack him across the back of his head. He winced.

The two rounded each other, throwing blows, falling back, scooting forward and deflecting what they could.

After several successful blocks, Katara rolled and watched an incoming flame dodge her by a mere few inches. She suddenly realized he was going easy on her. He was honestly afraid to hurt her.

A smirk pulled across her lips.

This was child's play.

The blue eyed girl hit him again with the whip, hearing a silent "ow." He snorted and tossed yet another stream of fire.

Except, in her mind, she pictured it going the opposite way she was turning. Surely enough, it didn't.

The flame came in contact with her upper arm and grazed the skin, burning the flesh in the process. The hit caught her off guard and she tripped over herself, falling to the ground on her side. As she hit the earthy floor, Aang's eyes shot open and he dashed toward her, hearing a whimper emit disturbingly from her throat.

"Katara!" Zuko shouted, shocked at the outcome. He was trying so hard to _avoid _this kind of situation. He jogged up to her, but Aang demanded he stay away. This was partially because she was injured, but mostly because he didn't want Zuko to be murdered. However, the thought of Zuko being killed for injuring the love of his life came to his head as a good idea for a second or so.

"Are you alright?" Aang asked sweetly as Katara sat up. She nodded.

The waterbender touched her burn with her finger tip and flinched, then looked at the blood on her hand.

"Wow. That was actually a suprisingly good attack," Katara noted, shaking her head slowly.

Aang rose an eyebrow. "You're okay?" he continued to question.

She nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"And you're not angry?"

"No..."

The Avatar released a sigh of relief. Without thinking, Aang leaned into her and kissed her on the forehead, causing her to blush. She bit her bottom lip. There was a peaceful moment between them, although this changed slightly as Katara placed her hand upon the airbender's cheek and led his lips to hers. The contact lasted for only a short moment, but it left them both dazed and smiling.

Several hours later, after Katara healed and cleaned her wound, cooked dinner and served it, she sat down beside Zuko. His first instinct caused him to glance at her perfectly mended arm, and with seeing it was alright, allowed him his first bite.

"It's amazing how you do that," he notioned after swallowing.

"Hmm?" She was smiling, although her thoughts seemed distant.

"How you heal yourself," the prince explained. "It must be convenient."

Katara shook her head, no. "Not convenient, just part of me."

A small giggle came from her and Zuko watched her as if she was crazy. Following her line of sight, he noticed she was looking at Aang across the fire. He blew a kiss to her with his hand. No one else was paying attention...

"What was with that, earlier, anyway?" the boy asked. On the other side of the dancing fire, Aang pointed to his food and gave her two thumbs up, followed by a big smile.

"What?"

"The duel."

Katara choked, but turned to look at him. "Zuko..." The water tribe girl sighed a happy sigh. "Honestly? I was never all that worried about Aang. Except at first. He might be a pacifist, but he can definitely hold his own." She glanced at the ground, then carried out eye contact with him again. Her voice lowered. "I originally came down to you guys to spit out some excuse about how I was going to practice my waterbending... just so I could kiss him goodbye."

The silence between them was filled with gaps of a mindless murmur—the mixture of the voices around them.

"That didn't really answer the question."

Her head tossed back and forth again, this time mocking how dense she felt he was.

"I chickened out. So, the next best thing I could do was propose a different reason for coming down." She laughed to herself. "I guess I have to thank you for burning me."

Zuko arched his brow at this. "Thank me?"

"Yes. That still doesn't mean I like you, though," she clarified.

And then, he understood. As Katara stood to sit by the Avatar, Zuko realized all a person needs is love and hope to get by. Until recently, he rejected it in all forms to chase after an unwarranted dream that his father would provide him with such things.

But, if Aang and Katara had gotten this far in all they've been through, he could find a new light of renewed hope at the end of the tunnel.

Everyone has their place, and his was right here.

Amoung friends still finding their way, just like him.


End file.
